API: The Module Manifest

The Module Manifest

Related pages: Extending Modules

Each module needs a manifest.xml file so that it can be loaded. The manifest describes several elements about the module, from the title and author of the module to the sensor data that it depends upon.

Technical Overview

The basic format for the module manifest is like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest 
    package="edu.mines.acmX.samples.module"
    class="Module" 
    icon="some_image.jpg" 
    title="some_title"
    author="Kinect Exhibit Team"
    version="1.2">

    <uses-sdk 
            minSdkVersion="0.1.0"
            targetSdkVersion="0.1.0"/>


  <inputs>
    <input optional="true" input-type="acceleration" />
    <!-- without the optional, it will default to required -->
    <input input-type="rgbimage" />
  </inputs>
  <requires-module>
    <module package="edu.mines.acmX.some_other_game" />
    <!-- By default, modules are required. To mark it as optional, add the optional tag -->
    <module optional="true" package="edu.mines.acmX.another_game" />
  </requires-module>
</manifest>

Tag / Attribute Glossary

manifest

The root tag of the manifest. Has six attributes:

package

The name of the package that the module is identified by. Needs to be unique from all other modules. Uses reverse package naming, for example: com.example.test

class

The name of the class that extends a module (ProcessingModule, AWTModule, etc.). This class will be run first when the module is launched.

icon

The name of the image icon of the module.

title

The title of the visualization.

author

The author of the visualization.

version

The module version.

Sub Tags

• uses-sdk
• inputs
• requires-module

uses-sdk

Declares what version sdk the module uses. Has two attributes:

midSdkVersion

The minimum sdk version that the module can safely use.

targetSdkVersion

The sdk version that the module would ideally like to use.

inputs

Contains all "input" tags that exist in the manifest. Has no attributes.

Sub Tags

• input

input

Defines a single input data dependency that the module wants to use. Has two attributes:

optional

A non-required attribute that defines whether this particular input is option or not. Can be set to "true" or "false". Without this tag, input default to optional="false".

input-type

Defines what sort of input data the module is expecting. See Hardware Manager manifest for supported input types

requires-module

Defines what other modules this visualization depends upon. Contains all module tags that specify what modules are required, including "module" and "optional-all" tags. Has one optional attribute.

optional-all

A non required tag that allows this module to optionally depend upon all other modules in the module directory. Useful for launchers.

Sub Tags

• module

module

Defines a module dependency. Has two attributes:

optional

A non-required attribute that defines whether this particular module is optional or not. Can be set to "true" or "false". Without this tag, input default to optional="false".

package

The package name of the depended upon module